Free Research Guides

Everyone can use a little guidance from time to time, especially when your family history leads you to unfamiliar records, and to research in new places and eras. We’re creating a series of research guides to help you through these new experiences and alert you to collections on Ancestry.com that can help. Look for more guides to be added as we grow this collection. Have a suggestion for a guide? Send it to editor@ancestry.com

Getting Started

Ancestry Anne's Top 10 Search Tips

How Your Ancestry.com Family Tree Helps You Learn More

Creating Timelines That Produce Answers

Ethnic

African American family research on Ancestry.com

Finding Your Irish Ancestors in the U.S. and Ireland

Finding Your Ancestors from the UK and Ireland

Finding Your Swedish Ancestors at Ancestry.com

Finding Your German Ancestors on Ancestry.com

Finding Your Canadian Ancestors on Ancestry.com

Immigration

Finding Your Immigrant Ancestors on Ancestry.com

10 Things to Know about Passenger Lists 

Census

10 Census Tips from our Members

5 Steps Beyond: The 1910 Census

10 Census Questions That Lead to More Answers

Follow Your Family Using Census Records

Military

Tips for Success: Military Records at Ancestry.com

Your Family Tree in the American Revolution

Find Your Civil War Ancestor on Ancestry.com

Find Them in World War II

Miscellaneous

Black Sheep: 10 Things to Know